Lifeline systems are used in various workplace environments to protect workers from accidental falls from elevated locations such as large scale assembly facilities, aviation maintenance platforms, and building construction and maintenance platforms. Such existing lifeline systems are often implemented as fall arrest systems or fall restraint systems.
Conventional fall arrest systems are designed to break a fall to prevent the user from reaching the lower surface. Such systems typically include a self-retracting lanyard (SRL). If a user begins to fall, the system may detect the falling movement and automatically retract to stop the fall before the user reaches the surface below. Unfortunately, such systems often require the user to move through a minimum deceleration distance before the arresting action occurs.
Conventional fall restraint systems are designed to prevent a user from actually reaching an edge of the elevated surface to prevent a fall and potential injury. However, such systems typically utilize fixed length lanyards which must be repeatedly exchanged for longer or shorter lengths if the perimeter of the elevated area is non-uniform relative to the system's anchor point, thus inconveniencing the user.